I would agree the 19" is way too small.
I had the ~$300 Luggage Works for many years. Yes it's true it's built tough. It's also heavy and expensive. After 6 years the thing was totally destroyed, and in reality I just kept it limping along the last year. So many things wrong with it, where I had to drill and add a nut/bolt here or there, sew it back together (several times) due to large rips, etc. To refurbish it would've cost around $230, or the vast majority of the cost of a new one.
Instead I went with a different view, that bags are disposable and are essentially a wear item. I purchased a
TravelPro Pilot roller last year expecting it to only last a couple years. What I found was that now that I don't have a pubs case, I can treat the bag a lot better. I used to drag, as did most, my bag up the CRJ stairs with the 25# case attached! Or up/down flights of stairs or off of curbs. I really beat on that Luggage Works bag.
So, while yes the LW bags are great, and built fairly tough (although I'm hearing from others the newer versions aren't quite as durable) if you can take better care of your stuff you can easily get away with a less expensive, MUCH LIGHTER, bag. The MUCH LIGHTER part is important, I can't tell you how amazingly nice it is to travel light these days, after lugging that heavy LW bag, pubs case, and stuffed cooler around I won't go back.
I can tell you after about 1.5 years the bag still looks fairly new. There are a few scuffs here and there but it's still in excellent shape. Granted, a LW bag treated the same way will also last a long time, but it will be twice as expensive and almost twice as heavy (15 vs 9 lbs). The TravelPro still has wheels that are replaceable, the handle is replaceable, etc. similar to the LW, just less expensive and lighter.
If you have access to Costco the Kirkland can be a good option however I felt it lacked many of the pockets I liked to have on the side. The extra $50 I spent on that TravelPro was worth it IMO.
